Angelus Candidus
by RosieG
Summary: Riddled as he is with guilt and fear, Harry's life has taken a turn for the worse. Ginny Weasley is forced to watch from afar as her brother's best friend wastes away before her eyes. But Harry's silent cries have been heard. Life, is only the beginning..
1. Prologue

Angelus Candidus  
  
It was his favorite place in the whole world, above and below. He often went there to clear his thoughts and look out over the sea of white, the mountains of ivory, the sunset that turned the sky pink and orange and purple with the dying of the day. But it wasn't really dying. It was the birth of the night, and then the shades of red changed into pearly silver and gold, turning it all into a magical wonder that, had he still had breath, would have surely taken it away.  
  
He would fly as fast as he could go, which was, needless to say, a speed surpassing that which most of the Whites could reach. Most shook their heads when he left each day to visit the great valley near the Imperial City. But there were some that understood his fixation with flying; it was a trait that had stayed with him. His great love of the air. It had always fascinated him in a way nothing else had. Well, almost nothing else, and he'd spend hours skimming the gentle waves, scattering puffs of frosty gossamer, twirling and looping and every minute was pure joy. And when he grew weary of the game, he would sit, cross legged, propping his chin on his hands, and gaze at the shapes he'd managed to conjure in the air during his flight, wondering who else might see them and what they would think. He remembered, that when he was little, he used to love the different shapes, how no two were ever the same. He'd spent hours at guessing exactly what they were, giggling like the little boy that he was, while his mother made him lemonade and before his father came and caught him up a bear hug, throwing him up into the air. Like he was flying.  
  
It all came back down to flying, when he thought about it.  
  
He remembered the first time he'd come to the Imperial City, he'd been staggered by the sheer size of some parts of it. They'd reached up beyond heights he'd never imagined existed, and when he saw his first Whites, flying up until beyond his vision, the only thing he'd wanted was to be just like them.  
  
There were, of course, Silvers and Golds as well and then there were Fire- bearers, and Emeralds, the highest Order, and of course, those who were happy the way they were, but it was the ease of flight that had immediately caught his eye. Few of the other Orders flew. They handled the loftier issues and affairs and had no need.  
  
The Whites were charged with solitary missions.  
  
That had been the other aspect that had called to him. Whites Answered cries for help, even unspoken cries. Cries that came from deep within one's soul, even when they went unnoticed by the one in need. He'd always wanted to help people and he had always found small ways to do so, but when he'd suddenly been faced with the opportunity to do so much more, how could he have turned away?  
  
It hadn't been very hard to become a White. He'd asked his grandfather what he needed to do and the Silver had pointed him to one of the tallest buildings made of emerald and told him he'd find his answers there.  
  
Everywhere he turned there seemed to be people he knew. When he'd first arrived so many had greeted him, he'd found it staggering. He'd stepped into the city amidst wild applause, everyone hugging him or shaking his hand. He'd never felt as happy or complete as he did right then. But that had only been the first of millions of moments just the same since his arrival.  
  
A beautiful Emerald had greeted him by name, when he'd gone to the building, though he wasn't sure if he knew her. She'd smiled and kissed both of his cheeks, her red hair bouncing in wispy tendrils about her head, her eyes as piercingly green as the dress she wore. He'd gone down on one knee, feeling it was the appropriate thing to do and she'd laughed, in a way that made him smile and put him at ease. She'd known why he was there and had asked him why he wanted so to become a White. His answers had seemed to please her, yet she had told him that he needed to see for himself if he was truly a White at heart. Then she'd kissed his forehead and in a moment, thousands of memories came flooding back to him, of grateful faces, expressions of relief, kindly smiles. There was one in particular that caught his attention, because he could never forget her face. She was shining with love for him, a look that had always made him want to be better, made him want to earn her love.  
  
When the Emerald had pulled away, she had granted him his wish, saying that she'd known from the beginning that he was worthy. Deeds such as his never went unnoticed and she'd been watching him for enough time to know it was true.  
  
The Imperial City, surprisingly, was not a crowded place at all. It seemed so big, but it was so spacious and welcoming, that he had immediately begun to refer to it as "home". It was home. That was one of the things he'd realized when he'd arrived. He was finally, truly, home.  
  
Cedric sat on a shelf of cloud, his magnificent wings wrapped around himself, watching as the sun settled for the day. Swirls of fluff in every direction turned brilliant shades of red as he watched the great star sink lower and lower, before disappearing behind one of the large mountains down below. He watched as the greens and blues of the lakes and forests faded slowly to darkness; as the stars started twinkling even higher above him. He'd met some of the stars and knew several others by name but it was a long and arduous journey up and he didn't go very often.  
  
The sky turned deep midnight blue and the moon came out, casting its reflective glow over the scene before him.  
  
However, Cedric barely noticed any of it. He'd heard the cry today again. That made it the fourth time. He himself didn't know why he hadn't gone down to help him yet. He owed him so much, after all. Cedric knew what he'd done and at what near price. The other Whites perhaps understood better than he. They'd gone through much the same torment when they had first arrived. Cedric, however, didn't yet know how to deal with cries of guilt, or how to deal with cries that his loved ones sent up after him. Maybe he hadn't Answered yet because he was still trying to think of the solution.  
  
He didn't know exactly what he could do to ease Harry's pain.  
  
The first time he'd heard the cry had been shortly after he'd been named a White. He assumed that there had been cries before, yet he hadn't heard them with his untrained ears. The cry had come as such a shock that he'd nearly fallen out of the sky. Cedric simply couldn't understand at first why Harry would feel so guilty. Then, as he'd gone over the exact memories of what had transpired that night, he began to understand, and it hurt him so, to think that Harry was torturing himself like that. Harry blamed himself for Cedric's death, without even realizing he was doing it. He needed to accept that he had done all he could, but Harry had always believed he could do more.  
  
The second cry had come louder than the first, almost a scream, and it had ripped at him from inside. Harry was dreaming. His lack of acceptance was forcing him to relive that night, over and over. Yet Cedric had still been at a loss of what to do. He couldn't go down and tell him everything was all right, that he was all right. It didn't work that way. He couldn't be seen by mortal eyes any more than air could.  
  
The third time had shaken his soul and pierced his heart, the cry made heavier because of Harry's lack of support from his family. It was a time when Harry would have been so much better off if he'd just been allowed to stay with his friends, people who loved him.  
  
People who loved him.  
  
It was after the third cry that Cedric had begun to formulate a plan. He couldn't be seen or heard, but he could send an agent. He was capable of causing certain events down below. He could bring people together, if need be.  
  
Harry Potter needed someone who loved him.  
  
Cedric had gone to consult the beautiful Emerald who had given him his wings. Harry deserved happiness and if Cedric was going to send someone to relieve his pain, he was going to send the One. Cedric just hadn't been sure if it was allowed.  
  
The Emerald had smiled at him, in her special, motherly way. "Cedric," her voice was soft and warm. "How can I help you?"  
  
Cedric had bowed respectfully before his request. "Milady, I have received a cry three times now, but haven't Answered yet because I didn't know what to do." His voice had been anxious, filled with worry.  
  
The Emerald had nodded her understanding. "It's a cry of guilt, isn't it, Cedric?"  
  
Cedric nodded. The Emerald's eyes had unfocused then and a sad smile flickered across her features.  
  
"I began as a White, you know. I remember my first cry of guilt. And it was only my first. There were so many." The Emerald shook her head. "There was nothing I could do to relieve him of it. Nothing except give him one thought that couldn't be taken away, like the rest. You see, he was in a situation where I couldn't quite reach him, surrounded by nothing but fear and cold and utter blackness. I gave him a small light, so to speak." The Emeralds voice had trailed off and she'd been lost in memories for a moment. Then she'd sighed and said, "Sometimes, Cedric, something small is the only Answer you can give. But when you have a chance to do more," her green eyes had glittered knowingly, "you should take the chance and hold fast to it."  
  
Cedric had nodded, thanking her for her advice.  
  
He had spent the next few days in the Archives, searching for the perfect one to send. All he really needed to do was find Harry's name, but there were thousands and thousands of souls, yet to be born and paired, that it took him quite a while.  
  
Cedric had been pleasantly surprised when he'd found her. He remembered her ever so slightly, but what pleased him, was how easy it would be to get done.  
  
Before leaving the Archives, Cedric had considered briefly looking up his own name. But the memory of almond eyes and shimmering black hair turned him away. He knew already. He'd have to wait, but a lifetime was nothing compared with the reward at the end of it, and besides, he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.  
  
The fourth cry had come that morning, and it had near pierced the sky. Cedric hadn't planned on setting out until tomorrow but now he knew that he was needed much more urgently. He was just preparing himself for the descent.  
  
It was cold down below. Up above, physical feelings like heat and cold, wet and dry, didn't exist. It was one of the prices that Whites had to pay to help people. That and the pain of the cries.  
  
For this it would be well worth it though. Every cry that rose to his ears held all of Harry's pain and anguish. Cedric only felt it when the cries reached him, but from that small taste, he couldn't imagine what Harry was going through every single day. It wasn't only guilt. There was fear there for his friends and family, loneliness, insecurity. There seemed to be no end to what went on in Harry's soul.  
  
Cedric cast one last glance downwards, at the now shadowed forest that he remembered, the castle, looming above the lake, a towering fortress that seemed forbidding at first sight, but which was welcoming and filled with homely comforts on the inside. Cedric no longer belonged there, he knew.  
  
But he was going back. 


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One  
The graveyard was overgrown and dark, old cracked tombstones projecting from the earth like broken teeth. The air was cold and dank and smelled of mold and death, and all around was darkness. Harry could barely see through it.. Then, from far off, a figure carrying a bundle became clearer and clearer as it drew near.  
  
Harry's scar suddenly exploded in pain and agony such as he had never felt before in his life. Then, from far away, came the dreaded voice.  
  
"Kill the spare."  
  
And then, cold gray expressionless eyes stared back at him.  
  
"Wands out do you reckon?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Avada Kedavra!"  
  
Cedric. Dead.  
  
Suddenly a great blast of cold air met him with such force that Harry gasped. Rain pelted down from the sky, drenching him. It was all his fault. He fell to his knees on the soggy ground, the wind blowing the damp strings of his hair about in every direction.  
  
"Bone of the father. Flesh of the servant. Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken, resurrect your foe."  
  
Hands like pale spiders, red eyes, cold laughter. Voldemort.  
  
Laughter. Evil laughter.  
  
And then everything exploded.  
  
~*~  
  
Harry sat up suddenly in bed, gasping for breath and shivering from head to toe. His scar was burning with pain and he shakily brought a hand up to touch it. His face was wet with tears and he swiped at them angrily. A chill wind blew across the room and he looked up abruptly. Somehow, the window near his bed had been blasted open by the storm raging outside and the wind was driving rain inside. Thunder rumbled in the distance and as he got up to close the window, lightning flashed, blue against the black/gray sky.  
  
Now that Harry was awake, he couldn't fall asleep again, not after that dream. It was amazing how he could still function with the minimal amount of sleep he was getting. The dream haunted him non-stop, every night. Harry fought with himself each night to stay awake, but he was so exhausted that he gave in. He would have asked for a Dreamless Sleep Potion from Madame Pomfrey, but it was very hard to prepare and there was only a limited amount in the hospital wing.  
  
Harry sat down on his bed and lowered his face into his hands, taking deep, steadying breaths. He could hear the sounds of the four other boys in his dormitory fast asleep, from Neville's light snores to Seamus' deep and even breathing. If only it were so easy for him, but how could he sleep after everything that had happened? How could he continue living when others were dead because he hadn't done enough?  
  
Everyone told him it wasn't his fault. That he should stop blaming himself. He'd like to see them try. Harry knew the truth. He heard the whispers behind his back, he saw the strange looks other students sent his way when he passed through the corridors, the sudden silences when he walked into a room. And no matter what his friends said, they didn't really understand.  
  
Harry sighed and stood up, putting on his robe. If he was going to brood, he might as well do it down in the common room where there was a fire and he didn't have to worry about waking anyone up.  
  
He made his way silently downstairs, his feet freezing on the stone floors. He cursed himself inwardly for having forgot his slippers, but he was fine when he stepped onto the plush scarlet carpet on the common room floor.  
  
Harry sat down on the sofa in front of the fire, which had already been reduced to dying embers, the faint light casting its glow over the small area around him and leaving everything else in blackness.  
  
~*~  
  
"What the-? Crookshanks!" Ginny hissed at the great orange fur-ball that had startled her out of sleep. She didn't know when the cat had taken to sitting on people's faces while they slept, but she was going to have a stern talk with Hermione in the morning.  
  
Ginny sat up and rubbed her eyes before looking at the clock beside her bed. It read, quite simply, "Are you mad?! Go back to sleep!" But Ginny suddenly found she was wide awake and feeling a bit restless. Her stomach grumbled.  
  
"Hmmm. I wonder if the house elves are up at this hour down in the kitchens." she murmured half to herself and half to Crookshanks, who, having finished bothering her, had now settled on her lap and was purring contentedly as Ginny absent-mindedly stroked his fur. Ginny's stomach rumbled again.  
  
"Well, I suppose there's only one way to find out." Ginny stood up, knocking Crookshanks off her lap. The cat gave her an angry hiss and stormed out of the room with as much pride as he could muster.  
  
"Serves you right, you demonic cat."  
  
Ginny pulled on her dressing gown and slippers, the floor was cold, after all, and made her way down to the common room.  
  
The fire had died down to a faint glow that cast most of the room in shadow, so Ginny didn't see the low table as she headed to the portrait hole.  
  
"Ow! What the bloody hell?!" she said as softly as she could, hopping up and down, clutching her toe and grimacing in pain. Who'd moved the table?  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted when a voice carried softly across the room from next to the fire.  
  
"Ginny?"  
  
Ginny immediately let go of her foot and stood up straight feeling an accursed blush creeping across her cheeks. Why did she always have to do that?  
  
It wouldn't have mattered if it had been anyone else, but she recognized that voice. It was His voice, and no matter how much she tried, Ginny didn't think she'd ever be able to stop her heart from pounding every time she heard it.  
  
"H-Harry?" she asked timidly.  
  
"Hey, what are you doing up?" Ginny could see Harry's silhouette get up from where he'd been sitting and make his way towards her. Ginny's heart beat faster.  
  
"I-I, uh, well, it's actually a very funny story. I, er," Ginny stammered. She hated herself at that moment. She really did. Why did she have to be such a- such a baby?  
  
She was about to try to gallantly save herself when she caught her first glimpse of Harry in the dim light.  
  
He looked terrible.  
  
There were dark circles under his eyes and his face looked haggard and thin. His shoulders were slumped forward as though he were carrying something very heavy. But it was his eyes that hit Ginny hardest. Instead of the bright green she knew them to be, they were dark and faded, void of emotion. He looked so tired, and not just physically.  
  
He looked like one of the shadows cast by the dying fire.  
  
Ginny mentally shook herself. Harry was waiting for her, she'd been about to say something.  
  
"I- er, well, Crookshanks woke me up and I was just going to head down to the kitchens to grab a bite to eat." The shock of seeing Harry as he was had granted Ginny the ability to string full sentences together in his presence. "What about you?"  
  
Harry glanced at the fire for a moment. "I couldn't sleep."  
  
Ginny felt a wrench inside her chest at the lost look on Harry's face and maybe it was the fact that he looked so alone, but Ginny suddenly felt a surge of courage that Gryffindors were supposed to be famous for in the first place.  
  
"Do you want to come with me, maybe? It- well, it's a long way to walk by myself and I wouldn't mind some company. If you don't mind, that is," Ginny added quickly.  
  
Harry frowned slightly. He didn't look all too certain. "Ginny, you do know I'm a prefect, right?"  
  
Ginny bit her lip uneasily. "Yes."  
  
Harry furrowed his brow. "You know you're not supposed to be out of bounds at this hour."  
  
Ginny nodded.  
  
"And you're still asking me to walk around the castle with you in the middle of the night, even though I'm supposed to take points off for that kind of thing?"  
  
Ginny sighed. "All right, it's stupid, I know, but you just look like." Ginny blushed and trailed off, too embarrassed to finish.  
  
There was a moment of silence before Harry asked quietly, "Look like what?"  
  
Ginny stared at the floor, wishing her face wasn't burning so and hoping the darkness of the common room was covering it up.  
  
"Like- like you need someone to talk to. And I just thought, since I'm awake, you can, well, not that you have to tell me anything, but if I'm here anyway, and you look so tired, I'll listen, so you don't have to-"  
  
"Okay, let's go."  
  
Ginny abruptly stopped her blabbing and looked up from the spot on the rug she'd been concentrating on.  
  
"Just wait a minute and let me get my slippers."  
  
Ginny simply stood there, in a state of semi-shock, as Harry turned around and climbed the stairs to the boys' dormitories.  
  
She had expected him to politely turn her down, or worse, completely ignore her after the display she'd just made. But he. he.  
  
"Okay, come on." Harry looked a little better now, though Ginny wasn't sure why. Maybe he really didn't want to be alone, though Harry had always seemed to her the type that kept to himself. She wished he would tell her what he was going through, but she wasn't going to disillusion herself. However, the thought of just the two of them walking around the castle during the middle of the night set her heart pounding.  
  
Harry carefully opened the portrait hole (it often creaked) and stepped lightly down, holding the portrait open for Ginny to follow.  
  
Ginny hopped down, but she must have misjudged the distance in the dark, because she tripped when she landed and fell forward, straight into Harry's outstretched arms.  
  
And he caught her.  
  
As his arms encircled her, making sure she didn't fall, Ginny felt she would die, literally, as her heart stopped for a moment and she couldn't breathe.  
  
"Er, Ginny, are you all right?" Harry's embarrassed voice came from somewhere above her head. Ginny slowly raised her wide eyes to Harry's face, only to find she was inches away from his mouth. She uttered a small squeal (much to her everlasting and undying embarrassment) and backed away quickly blushing furiously and straightening her dressing gown.  
  
"Sorry," she said, her voice raspy. Ginny cleared her throat. "It wasn't that high last time I jumped."  
  
Harry gave her an odd look, but then shrugged. "Come on," he said. "If we're heading down to the kitchens, then you're going to have to meet Dobby and I definitely want to get that over with as fast as I can."  
  
~*~  
  
Cedric sighed as he watched Harry and Ginny walk away down the corridor. This might prove to be harder than he thought. He'd given them the perfect opportunities. Everyone knew that late night meetings in the common room by chance always led to something. Anything. But Ginny was so shy and Harry so reserved. Of course, Cedric didn't expect all that much to happen straight off. Harry wouldn't let himself fall so easily, and besides, he needed to trust her first and she needed to know about everything. Cedric was going to have to wait until Harry felt comfortable enough around Ginny to let go of his burden. And then Ginny, well, Cedric trusted that she'd be able to finally knock some sense into the boy. She was a Weasley after all.  
  
Cedric wandered down the different corridors, not really heading anywhere. It felt so odd to be back at Hogwarts, everything was so familiar yet so strange. He'd found, upon entry, that he could now feel the magic thrumming through every fiber of the great castle, and he could sense the hundreds of lives comfortable within its walls. It was rather intoxicating and Cedric reveled in the feeling of the sudden awareness of everything. The stones themselves told stories that had taken place thousands of years before, even before they had been brought together to form Hogwarts. The trees in the Forbidden Forest were alive, there was no other way to describe it, and the old Whomping Willow had told him some of the most shocking tales in connection to Harry's third year.  
  
It was a Hogwarts such as he had never known it and he felt like a little first year all over again.  
  
As Cedric rounded a final corner, he suddenly realized that his subconscious had led him to the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room. The great engraved bronze plate portraying the epic battle between Billgin the Blunt and Grox the Guzzler shone bright in the moonlight from the nearby windows and there was a flash as Billgin swung his unsharpened ax at Grox's head. He hit him with the flat of the ax and Grox crumpled in an unconscious heap as Billgin ran around, victorious before he accidentally hit himself as well.  
  
Cedric chuckled. That scene had always made him laugh when he'd been alive. He remembered the first time Cho had brought him here. Her eyes had glittered mischievously as she'd led him to the entrance. She'd taken his hand, and placed it on the bottom left corner of the engraving.  
  
"Hey! You're no Ravenclaw!" Grox had yelled at him the second before he was knocked out.  
  
"Yeah! Take your bloody arse and leave before I show you what I'm made of!" Billgin shouted, waving his ax in the air. He'd lost his balance and fallen down a moment later, the ax landing unceremoniously on his head.  
  
Cedric shook his head as he gazed longingly at picture, not quite seeing it, but looking beyond, as though he could see the girl he knew was inside.  
  
"Hello Cedric," came a voice from behind him. He turned around in surprise. No one was supposed to be able to see him.  
  
It was the Gray Lady, the resident ghost of Ravenclaw, gliding towards him, her long dress trailing in whispy clouds behind her.  
  
Cedric gave a small sigh of relief. "Hello, ma'am," he answered politely. "How are you?"  
  
The Gray Lady stopped before him and tilted her head, observing Cedric for a long moment. Her eyes had always made him shiver, though not in a bad way. She seemed to be able to look deep inside you, but the way she did it, you knew that whatever she found never reached another's ears.  
  
"I thought I sensed a White in the castle. There hasn't been one here for quite a while." She gave Cedric a small smile. "Your wings are beautiful."  
  
Cedric ducked his head, blushing slightly. "Thank you Lady. You're gracious as always."  
  
The Gray Lady chuckled quietly. "Ah, Cedric, you always were a polite young man. So proper! But gallant all the same." She trailed off, looking at the bronze engraving.  
  
"She misses you, Cedric."  
  
Cedric lowered his head and stared at the floor, not quite sure what to say.  
  
"She cries when she's alone, you know."  
  
"Yes, I know." Cedric sighed. "I hear her sometimes." His heart gave a painful wrench and he looked up, his features etched with sorrow.  
  
The Gray Lady tilted her head again and stared at him in her strange way. "She wouldn't cry if she knew how much it hurt you up above. I know her, Cedric; she used to talk to me before you left. She'd rather do anything than hurt you, but she hurts so much right now. She doesn't realize that the pain will pass, or that-"  
  
"Or that she'll see me again," Cedric finished for her. "It'll just take a while, is all."  
  
"Yes." she nodded. "Patience is a virtue, I have always believed. You need to have patience as well. Cries of guilt are not easy to Answer and it will take time. Do not be discouraged. All events take place in their due time." The Gray Lady began to drift away, apparently finished with the conversation, but Cedric still had one thing to ask her.  
  
"Lady?"  
  
The beautiful ghost turned around and gazed at him inquiringly.  
  
"Would you. Could you just keep an eye on her for me, please?"  
  
The Gray Lady bowed slightly and smiled. "Of course I will Cedric." She then turned and left through the corridor wall.  
  
Cedric gazed longingly at where he knew Cho was one last time before continuing his wanderings for the night.  
  
"I love you, Cho," he whispered. He'd never known White Angels could feel so alone.  
AN: Thanks everyone for waiting this long. I'm sorry! I hope the next update won't be as far away, it's just I'm currently working on another story "Harry Potter and the Guardian of Lost Souls" which NEEDS to be finished by June 21st. So, bear with me and thanks again! ~Rosie 


	3. Chapter Two

AN: Once again, I must tell you how sorry I am that this is so late. I've officially given up on my beta. I usually don't post until that story's up on GT.net, but my beta's had this chapter for forever and. So, the next one should be up soon, but also keep in mind that I'm currently in the middle of every twelfth grader's worst nightmare: Finals.  
  
Ok, on a lighter note, I just want to thank a couple of the reviewers that stood out or had questions:  
  
Lady of the Almonds: *blush* I'm beyond flattered, really thank you. As for Cho and Cedric, well, you'll just have to wait and see! *wink*  
  
A non ni mus: No, sorry, they won't be making an appearance in the story. Though that would be a good idea for a short angst fic.  
  
Lis: I'm so pleased someone noticed that! I was wondering if anyone would. When I put things like that in, it's usually just for my own pleasure, but it's nice to know someone else spotted it out and liked it too.  
  
Hazel eyed Witch87: The trick with Ginny is knowing how to make her shy but to keep in mind that, in the end, she does come from a family with six other boys and she's the youngest. She'd have to have audacity from standing up to them all the. I can imagine having six older brothers would normally drive one out of their mind.  
  
Well, that's all. I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's my favorite up until now, though the next one looks like it's going to be a lot of fun as well!  
Chapter 2:  
  
The sun was rising. It slowly crept up behind the line of mountains off to the south, tingeing the normal blue sky a rosy pink that promised a beautiful day, while the air was crisp and fresh, laden with morning dew. In the growing light, the Imperial City looked like a great wonderland of ice, the sun sparkling off of every turret, making the drips of moisture that fell look like diamonds, twinkling with promise.  
  
A shadow swept across Lily's vision. She'd been standing on one of the great balconies of the Hall of the Orders, staring wistfully into the sun, thinking what a pity it was that mortals were incapable of seeing the fiery beauty of the great star directly. She'd closed her eyes, letting the light seep into her every being, smiling at the warm red glow and felt the wind on her face, blowing out the long emerald trail and full sleeves of her silken gown behind her. A wind that was neither warm nor cool, but simply was.  
  
Lily opened her eyes in time to see a man land gracefully a few feet to her left. The sun glinted off of his great red, orange and black wings that shone as though they were on fire and his silver armor and mail glowed with a righteous luminescence. In a couple of steps, he closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.  
  
"Hello," he murmured in her ear, his voice low and rich.  
  
Lily leaned her head back against his shoulder, her hand snaking behind his neck where she ran it lovingly through his mop of black hair.  
  
"Hi."  
  
They stood that way for a while, neither speaking, as they watched the sun continue to rise, slowly giving life and color to everything, until the Celestial Bells rang out that dawn was passed and that a new day had begun.  
  
Lily sighed and turned her head slightly. "James, Cedric left last night."  
  
She felt more than saw James furrow his brow in slight worry. "Yes, I know. I've been watching." He suddenly moved back a bit and turned Lily around to face him, his hands planted firmly on her waist. His eyes were pained. "Lily, do you think- Can Cedric really do anything to help? You know how Harry is. He takes so much on himself that eventually he doesn't even realize how heavy the burden's become. If he keeps it up, he's going to fall."  
  
"Hush, James," Lily scolded her soul mate gently. "Have faith in Cedric, the boy has a good heart and a strong will. And have faith in Harry. He's your son and so like you that I sometimes drift off and wonder where Padfoot and Moony have disappeared to when I'm watching him. You wouldn't believe the similarities between the two of you."  
  
James smiled slightly and shook his head. "Yes, I know. The hair-" Lily cut him off.  
  
"No, not that. Similarities in spirit. I've never known anyone so noble or brave. He cherishes his friends and the ones he loves above all else; he's honest, trustworthy and loyal." Lily trailed off as she saw her husband's cheeks turn nearly as red as the feathers of his wings. "And he blushes just that way, as well." Lily giggled when James gave her sheepish grin, but she turned somber again almost immediately. Lily suddenly hugged James tightly and buried her face in his chest.  
  
"Harry has such a good soul. He doesn't deserve any of it, not our little boy."  
  
James smoothed a hand caressingly over her hair, soothing her and wrapping his soft wings around them both. "I know, I know, Lily. But Harry's strong, he'll pull through, I know he will. If he really is like me, then he's as stubborn as I am as well."  
  
Lily looked up to gaze into James's eyes. They were deep brown and blazed with concern, but with hope as well.  
  
"You'll see, he'll be all right."  
  
Lily's eyes filled with tears. "It's not just that. It's what the whole world expects of him, the future that's waiting for him. We both know what's coming and so does everyone down below; it's inevitable. Harry's going to be faced with all of it alone."  
  
"No, Lily, never alone." James said softly, wiping a tear from her cheek. "Harry has Sirius to watch over him, and Remus and all of his friends and the Weasleys, and they'll all stand by him. The real problem is whether or not he'll let them." He hugged Lily closer, radiating comfort.  
  
Lily felt herself relax in his embrace and she sighed. "Well, I suppose that's what we have Cedric for, although he's in for a harder time than he knows." A sly grin suddenly spread across her face. "Do you know what he's planning to do?"  
  
James couldn't help but grin as well. Lily's moods had always been infectious, and besides, he did know. "You know, my mother's a redhead."  
  
Lily's eyes shone with mirth and her smile widened.  
  
James nodded in affirmation. "You've met her. The most brilliant red you could imagine," he said in a serious tone though he looked about ready to bursts out laughing. "I don't know what it is, but Potter men have always been inexplicably drawn to beautiful redheads."  
  
Lily raised her eyebrows and smirked. Then, leaning up on tiptoes she whispered, "Flattery will get you everywhere, Mr. Potter."  
  
It was irresistible, and James found himself leaning down to capture her lips in kiss as fiery as his wings.  
  
~*~  
  
Harry yawned as he stared out over the lake on his way back from Quidditch practice. It had been a long and grueling session and he owed it to nobody but himself. He was the Quidditch captain, after all. Although, Harry wondered if he wasn't a bit hard on his fellow teammates. He knew they'd taken to calling him 'Captain Blood' behind his back, but he couldn't help it. Quidditch was one of his few releases from the pressures he faced. When he was in the air, dodging Bludgers, searching frantically for the Snitch, he didn't have time to worry about Voldemort or the events of last year. And as he'd previously discovered, he had fewer bad dreams when he was tired out after practice. However, Harry didn't think anyone else appreciated his tyranny.  
  
Harry glanced up towards the castle, with its towering gray pillars and steeples. It was late afternoon and the rain from the previous night had stopped in the morning. The sun was now shining pleasantly in the sky and it was just warm enough to be comfortable without a jumper. He didn't feel much like going inside just yet; it was too nice out and he had a lot to think about, so Harry sat down on the grass near the lake, putting his Firebolt down gently next to him. He yawned again.  
  
Quidditch practice wasn't the only reason he was tired. He'd been up until very late with Ginny in the kitchens last night where they'd spent an hour creating a huge mess and trying to avoid making a racket lest any of the house elves realize something was amiss. Harry had been relieved beyond belief (which he felt slightly guilty about) that none of the elves were up. He didn't think he could handle Dobby just then.  
  
He'd been worried at first what on earth he was expected to talk about with Ron's little sister, but he really hadn't wanted to stay in the common room by himself, spending the remainder of the night staring gloomily into the fire. They'd walked through the corridors in silence, praying they wouldn't be caught, and Harry had nearly kicked himself for not bringing his invisibility cloak. On the other hand, he was pretty sure Ron hadn't told Ginny about the cloak, and he supposed it would be better to keep it as much of a secret as he could.  
  
The kitchen with Ginny had been an adventure. There was no other way to describe creeping on tiptoes through the rows of counters, opening and closing cupboards, nearly having a heart attack when a pile of dishes clattered from a table and fell with a deafening crash to the floor, all the time in search of the perfect snack. Harry hadn't been particularly hungry at first, yet as time went by and Ginny still hadn't had any success in uncovering something she was in the mood to eat, his stomach took control and he found himself searching just as eagerly as she was. He'd wanted one of those chocolate eclairs Ron was so fond of, but there hadn't seemed to be any left.  
  
In the end, they'd both settled for fudge cake and hot chocolate. Ginny had declared that when in doubt, one should always turn to chocolate and it would share its wisdom. Harry had snorted into his mug and Ginny had gone into a fit of giggles that she'd tried desperately to contain, but the only thing she'd succeeded in doing was giving Harry the giggles as well. They were both soon gasping for breath and tearing at the eyes for no reason whatsoever, and Harry discovered, with a jolt, that Ginny wasn't so bad after all.  
  
He'd regretted it all in the morning.  
  
How could he have? What gave him the right? Harry had really enjoyed himself and he felt terrible. Laughing about absolutely nothing, drinking chocolate, talking happily, forgetting.  
  
There was one thing Harry had promised himself he'd never do, and that was forget. Forget the sacrifices made. Forget the endless battles and fear. Forget Cedric. Yet that was what he'd done. How could he be happy knowing that there were so many people in pain?  
  
A light breeze ruffled Harry's hair. The lake looked calm enough, but the wind caused little ripples across its surface, making it look as though there was more activity under the small waves than there was. The waters reflected the sunlight and Harry had to look away from the bright glare.  
  
He was torn, he realized as he picked at the grass next to him. One side of him had really enjoyed himself last night with Ginny, the side of him that had been pleasantly surprised to discover the vibrant and vivacious person he hadn't known existed before.  
  
The other side of him simply wanted to hurt as much as he could. He knew he deserved it and he hated himself. He'd always deserved it; he'd never caused anyone anything but trouble. Even the Dursleys, Harry thought, with an ironic grin that looked more like a grimace than anything else.  
  
The worst of it was, it was usually this side that won out in the end. Harry sighed and let himself hurt.  
  
~*~  
  
Cedric observed the scene before him. There was Ginny, walking cheerfully out of greenhouse five, headed towards the castle. And then a ways off, near the lake, was Harry. Cedric felt him there. He always felt when Harry was around.  
  
He grimaced in pain again as another flash burnt through his chest. Cedric swore loudly. If he wasn't dead already Harry would have been killing him.  
  
He stood up straight, ruffling his wings, trying to ignore it. He wasn't going to miss his chance. He had the perfect situation in mind too.  
  
Before Ginny could get too far away, Cedric sought the calm he needed to work. Everything seemed to go silent about him for a moment and then he grinned before blowing softly in her direction.  
  
"Fly," he commanded in a whisper.  
  
~*~  
  
A gust of wind caught Ginny by surprise and before she could do anything, her hat had flown off her head, the wind blowing it towards the lake.  
  
"Hey!" she cried indignantly. "Hey! Get back here, you- you hat!" And she set off to chase after it.  
  
It seemed to be getting even further away from her and Ginny gave a frustrated yell as she launched herself faster. Hats didn't grow on trees and she knew her mother would have something to say if she lost hers.  
  
She was nearing a clump of bushes when she thought she heard someone call her name from behind. Ginny turned around for a moment, not stopping her pursuit, but no one was there. She turned back just in time to realize it was too late to stop.  
  
"Oof!" Ginny toppled over whoever it was that had been sitting there, hidden behind the bushes and landed quite unceremoniously on top of him. The person gasped as the breath was knocked out of him and Ginny looked down in horror to find herself sprawled on top of the Boy Who Lived.  
  
"Ugh, Ginny." Harry groaned, squinting his eyes shut as he grimaced.  
  
Ginny knew she should get up, but she was frozen in place, half from the extreme panic coursing through her and half because, well, she didn't really want to. Her mouth was agape, her eyes wide, and Ginny found herself pleading with her muscles to move before she died of embarrassment, yet her body seemed to have a mind of its own which was currently arguing right back that it was perfectly happy where it was.  
  
Harry opened his eyes to find Ginny's horrified expression looking right down at him. Ginny watched in fascination as his shock from being bowled over gave way to realization of their situation.  
  
"Er, Ginny?" he said softly, his face turning a brilliant shade of crimson.  
  
Ginny stuttered for a moment, still not moving, before she finally managed to say something. "M-my hat." Well, that explained everything.  
  
Harry shifted under her and Ginny thought her heart would jump right out of her chest. He lifted his hand, then, her hat clutched safely in his fingers.  
  
"This hat?"  
  
Suddenly, Ginny seemed to return to her senses. It was as if she'd been watching from the side and had suddenly been slammed back into herself. In a frantic struggle, she began trying to get off of Harry, only to find that her robes had tangled around her legs and she was making a fool of herself. Then she accidentally kneed Harry in the stomach.  
  
"Oh! Harry! I'm so, so sorry!" Ginny finally managed to scramble up, sitting on her knees, while Harry sat up, clutching his stomach.  
  
He shook his head. "You were looking for this?" He held the hat to her and Ginny took it, blushing to the roots of her hair.  
  
"Er, yes. The wind caught it up. I was chasing it and I thought I heard someone calling me, so I turned around to look, only no one was there at all, and then I didn't see you, because you were behind the bushes, and I really am sorry. Did I hurt you badly?" Why was it that she always had to chatter away when she got herself into these situations?  
  
Harry actually looked rather amused, which brought back memories from the night before. She'd had so much fun, more fun than she'd ever believed she'd have with Harry. And he'd actually laughed.  
  
"Don't worry, I'm fine. You're the one who fell, are you all right?"  
  
Well. Wasn't that just like Harry? Never caring about himself and only worrying about everyone else. Ginny had her thoughts in connection to that particular trait, but she didn't say anything at the moment.  
  
"Yes, I'm fine, thank you. You, er, cushioned my landing." Had she just said that?! Harry seemed to be wondering the same thing, as his cheeks turned pink in a way that Ginny found adorable and he stared at the ground.  
  
The accursed wind was blowing Ginny's hair all over the place, so she turned to face it. Harry's voice suddenly came uncertainly from behind.  
  
"If you're already here, do you want to." he didn't quite seem to know how to finish.  
  
Ginny felt herself smile in spite of her embarrassment. "Keep you company?" she finished for him, proud of her steady voice. "Of course." She sat back next to him, her hat held firmly in her lap.  
  
There was silence all around them, save the whispering of the wind rustling the leaves in the trees of the forest. She didn't know about Harry, but Ginny felt that the silence was companionable rather than awkward; there was something about the way the wind was blowing and the way the sun reflected in the ripples of the lake that put her at peace, slowly making everything that had just happened disappear. Ginny closed her eyes and took a deep breath, sighing it out in content.  
  
"Ginny?" Harry sounded as relaxed as she felt and she wondered what magic the air held today that made everything seem so tranquil.  
  
"Hmm?" she answered, her eyes still closed.  
  
"About yesterday."  
  
Ginny opened her eyes abruptly and sat up straighter. There was something in Harry's voice that made her feel as though he didn't feel quite right about it. She'd had the most wonderful time herself. She'd never imagined she'd find herself sneaking around the castle at night with Harry.  
  
Everyone had known of her crush on the green-eyed boy, and everyone had called it childish and thought she'd grow out of it. In a way, Ginny supposed she had grown out of her little schoolgirl crush. But it was more that the crush had grown into something so much bigger than anything she could explain. She'd always felt some sort of connection to Harry, and it had only got bigger as time passed. Ginny had learned to hide it as well as she could yet every so often, Harry did something that caused a blush to rise to her cheeks. It didn't even necessarily have to have something to do with her. It was the way he treated people. He was kind and caring and courageous and at the same time so humble, as though anyone would do the things he did. It was that belief, that most people were just like him that made him so. Harry. He didn't even realize how special he was, and Ginny loved him all the more for it. For that was what her crush had developed into. Ginny would never admit it, but she loved Harry with all her heart, every part of him; the sweetness and the stubbornness, his kind-heart and his anger, his maturity and the impossible boyishness that there was to him. It was all part of a whole that made him who he uniquely was.  
  
And now, Ginny hoped desperately that he didn't regret having fun last night. But she knew him. She'd been thrilled when she'd managed to get him to laugh but Harry was so chivalrous, he probably felt guilty about that now as well.  
  
"Harry," she said abruptly, cutting off whatever he was about to say, "I know what you're going to say. But you're wrong."  
  
Harry looked at her incredulously, but Ginny plowed ahead, knowing she couldn't just stand on the sidelines and watch Harry hurt himself anymore.  
  
"I'm sorry, but you have to stop blaming yourself for whatever happened last year. I know you probably think it's not my place to butt in, but I can't do this anymore. You're hurting yourself, Harry, and no matter what did happen, no one deserves being punished as much as you're punishing yourself. And you know? You're hurting your friends as well. Do you how much it bothers Ron and Hermione that they can't help you? And they know what happened! Imagine how it is for everyone else that loves you and cares for. We don't even have that much to help you with. We can't even help you take some of the load. You think you're doing everyone a favor by hiding what happened? By tormenting yourself? Instead of being the hero, you're causing everyone more pain and grief."  
  
Ginny's face was flushed. She hadn't realized how strongly she had felt about this but now that she was letting it all out she couldn't stop. Harry, on the other hand, was staring at her in shock, his eyes growing rounder with each word out of her mouth, confirming what Ginny thought. She was getting it all right. She knew Harry Potter, she felt she always had, and just because he didn't talk to her all that much, or because Ron didn't include her in anything, didn't mean that she couldn't watch him and wish. It was in the way he held himself, and the way he treated his friends and her family. She knew Harry Potter as well as the back of her hand.  
  
Ginny suddenly lowered her voice to a sorrowful tone. "Harry, Cedric is dead. You didn't kill him. I know that more than I know anything. I don't know what happened, but whatever it was, it definitely wasn't your fault. Do you think you're helping Cedric, wherever he is? Because I assure you, Harry, there is life after death and you know it. You knew Cedric. Do you think he'd be happy knowing you were blaming yourself for something that couldn't be helped? I don't think so and if you'd think about it, I think you'd come to the same conclusion, eventually."  
  
The sudden silence that surrounded them as Ginny finished speaking seemed to ring in her ears. Had she really just told him all of that? Ginny had wanted to say some of those things for forever, but she'd never intended to, and now, when she looked at Harry, he looked even more hurt than usual. Ginny immediately knew that she'd gone too far, speaking to him so harshly. She'd been much too negative and instead of helping him, she knew she'd done a lot more damage. Now Harry had to worry about how much he was hurting everyone else, and he'd feel guilty about that as well. Not only that but how could she have been so blunt when speaking of Cedric?! Ginny wished she'd just kept her mouth shut, but it was too late now.  
  
Harry seemed even smaller and more alone than he had before and Ginny couldn't help the tears that threatened to spill at his expression. Before he could see her cry, she got up and ran as quickly as she could back to the castle.  
  
~*~  
  
Cedric grimaced and clutched at his side as he watched Ginny race away. What had gone wrong? He'd agreed with everything she'd said, but Harry hadn't taken it so well. Actually, he hadn't taken it well at all.  
  
Ginny disappeared behind the great doors to the castle, still crying and Cedric turned back to where Harry was. Cedric was a ways off, but he could see him, sitting with his knees pulled up to his chin and his arms wrapped around them. Cedric didn't have to get any closer to see that Harry was absolutely miserable.  
  
The situation was getting worse every day and Cedric didn't know what to do anymore. Ginny was so shy and Harry so reserved, it was driving him mad.  
  
Cedric sighed. He couldn't give up hope, not yet. He had to have faith and he'd do everything in his power to make those two clash together as often as he could. If they bumped into each other enough, they were bound to say the right thing in the end. He didn't care if it took him thirty years. He'd do it.  
  
Cedric turned to leave, ignoring the pounding headache that had become a constant since he'd come down, but he froze in his tracks when he found himself face to face with Cho.  
  
She didn't see him. She couldn't see him. That was the first thing he realized, and it hurt him more than anything Harry felt. Then, the next moment, she'd passed right through him. Electricity shot through every inch of him and he shivered at the sudden warmth that banished the freezing cold he felt as long as he was there. In a moment, it had passed, and he spun around to watch her leave.  
  
But Cho was looking behind her in confusion, at the exact place he stood. Her eyes were filled with grief yet a sudden spark of hope shone as she seemed to look straight at him. Cedric's heart gave a wrench and he found he couldn't stand watching her and not being able to- to.  
  
In a flash of white light he was gone.  
  
~*~  
  
It had been like a summer breeze and it had smelled of- him. But when she looked, there had been nothing there at all. Immediately, the glimmer of hope had been snuffed out. She'd turned to go, yet before she left, something compelled her to look down.  
  
There, laying softly on the grass, was a great white feather, that shone almost too brightly in the sunlight. She'd never seen anything like it before; it looked as though it reached from her elbow to the end of her fingertips.  
  
Slowly, and with much trepidation, she bent down to pick it up. It was as warm as the breeze had been and so soft, she almost didn't feel it, and for some reason, it made her think of-  
  
Cho started in surprise as the feather melted away in between her fingertips. 


	4. Chapter Three

AN: Here's the promised chapter three in record time! (Well, for me at least!) I really hope you enjoy it! It was very hard to write!

Angelus Candidus Chapter 3:

Over the next few days, Cedric watched Harry and Ginny wherever they went, always waiting for any opportunity to patch up what had happened by the lake. 

However, nothing turned up. They were both avoiding each other as much as possible, and in a castle as big as Hogwarts, that wasn't very hard. Cedric couldn't believe how stubborn they both were. It wasn't even close to normal.

It was time to take extreme measures, no matter how dangerous they might be and no matter how much he'd hate himself for doing it afterwards.

~*~

"Cedric wants to know about what really happened in Harry's second year." Lily's voice was anxious as she gave the news to her husband.

"Why? How would that help him?" James asked with evident curiosity.

"He's planning on using the information about Ginny and Tom Riddle's diary. He's heard rumors but he needs the complete truth. The question is, should we give it to him and what exactly will he do with it?"

James' brow furrowed in concentration. "Huh…"

"Huh?! Is that all you have to say about this?!" Lily exclaimed in annoyance.

James returned to the large leather tome he'd been writing in. "Yes."

Lily glared at James' back. "James Thomas Potter!" she shouted. James flinched. He hated when she called him by his full name like that. It usually meant he was about to be very sorry. He turned around once again, this time very slowly, so as not to anger or startle the wild beast.

"Yes, love?"

Lily's eyes flashed as she descended upon him. "Do you mean to tell me, that this doesn't bother you at all?!"

James swallowed nervously. Anyone watching this scene would have been very amused to see one of the greatest Fire-Bearers cowering before such a beautiful and graceful Emerald. Of course, anyone watching was not on the receiving end of Lily Potter's wrath, and so, they could laugh all they wanted to.

"Lil', it's not that it doesn't bother me. It's just that, out of anyone, I can understand extreme measures and what they require. And, like you said, we have to trust Cedric. He has the potential to become one of the Brilliants of his Order. I don't think he realizes quite that he was more or less made for the job. His heart is in the right place, he's intelligent and loyal. What can I say? He's a Hufflepuff in every way possible. And besides," James finished, as though this would settle the matter, "he's an incredible flyer."

Lily rolled her eyes. "It's always about flying with you, isn't it? Well, you're not the one that's going to have to sit down with Vera Weasley and explain why her granddaughter has to go through everything all over again. No! Of course not. That will be me! Always the diplomat. You have no tact, do you know that?"

"Yes, and it's one of the things you love most about me, right?" James smiled sweetly up at his wife then crossed his eyes and stuck out his tongue.

Lily sighed and shook her head. "No tact, whatsoever. Honestly, it's a wonder you didn't drive anyone crazy when you were in Hogwarts along with Moony, Padfoot and Wormtail."

James raised his eyebrows. "Oh? So quick to forget Sir Cadogan, then? He was quite sane and a very good knight besides, before Padfoot and I flushed him down Myrtle's toilet. He was never quite the same afterwards…" 

If she'd been down below, James had a feeling Lily would have had a remarkable headache by now. "Oh, all right," she said at last.  "I'll send him everything. I hope that boy knows what he's doing, though. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go retrieve the memories and secrets from the Golds, and they won't be very happy to give them to me, you know. This is all your fault." She said as she walked out the door.

"Love you!" James said, scrunching up his face and sticking out his lower lip in the best impression of a puppy face he could manage, which was quite good.

Lily sighed. "You're impossible."

~*~

"Somniaddo! I need you, answer my call!" The night was crystal clear and freezing cold, as far as Cedric was concerned, as he stood in an open glade not far from Hogsmeade, the dew just beginning to form on the blades of grass, a couple of hours before dawn. He stood shivering in the dark, the only glow cast by his wings, which he currently had wrapped as tightly around himself as he could.

For a while nothing happened. Then a faint twinkle appeared in the darkness before him, which slowly spread upwards and downwards until it was in the vague form of a man. A voice, as of a tinkle of bells, rang clear in the silence.

"Who has summoned me and what is your purpose?"

Cedric sighed as he began to feel sudden warmth seep into his every being. He unfurled his wings and stood proudly before the Giver of Dreams. 

"My name is Cedric and I am an angel of the White Order. I've summoned you because I need your help Answering one of my cries."

As Cedric spoke, the twinkling stardust before him had begun to take clearer shape and that shape began to solidify until a tall, wizened old man stood before him, the man's wispy white hair floating and blowing in a wind that wasn't there. His gray eyes pierced everything, much like the Gray Lady's did. He had a crooked nose and was very thin and knobbly, yet he gave off an air of being quite strong and capable of anything…

Somniaddo smiled kindly. "A White angel! Ahhh… Yes, I help your kind quite often. A soothing dream here, a little memory there… Yes…"

Cedric smiled as well. "I know, that's why I called you. Only I'm afraid the dream I want, or dreams you might say, aren't going to be exactly of the pleasant sort."

Somniaddo frowned. "Unpleasant, you say? And pray, how would an unpleasant dream help you Answer a cry? It seems to go against logic, if I do say so myself, although logic has never been something I really cared for. Much too logical. Unpleasant? Whatever for?" Somniaddo looked pleasantly puzzled.

"I know it seems strange, and it isn't usually the sort of thing that you like to do, but please, I really need your help."

"Well, of course I'll help you. A nice little boy such as yourself…"

Cedric strongly sensed that anyone would be a nice little boy (or girl) to Somniaddo, so he didn't say anything.

"Well, what are the components?" The Dream Giver held out his withered old hands.

Cedric pulled out everything he needed and handed it to him. As Somniaddo rifled through the various memories, secrets and general facts, he muttered disapprovingly to himself.

"My, my… Unpleasant indeed. Not the type of dream I usually like to prepare. Terrible to even think about. I wouldn't want such a dream, don't know who would, but then, of course, you can't account for taste. Let's see, Terror, Danger, Death, Sickness, Secrets, Evil… My, my… And you want them all in one dream, you say?"

Cedric had been holding his breath. He nodded uncertainly, still not very happy with what he was doing.

The old man furrowed his brow in thought. "Well, yes, I can do it, of course. I'm ordered to give out these sorts of dreams every night, you know. I don't like it, but I do it. That's how orders are. You have to do them no matter what. But as a request? Such a dream, such a dream…" He trailed off into muffled muttering.

Cedric had come prepared. "Yes, I knew you wouldn't want to, so I brought a gift-" but he wasn't allowed to finish.

"A gift?! A gift! No, no, no, no, no… I don't need a gift, dear boy!" Somniaddo chuckled. "Very nice of you to think of me, really. A very kind gesture, I assure you, but no. I'm quite fine and happy with what I have. I don't need a gift at all! What gem could you give me finer than the stars? Or blanket softer than the deepest night? What song or poem could surpass the sound of the wind in the trees? No, no gift necessary at all. I'll do it for a White, I will. And a White as generous as yourself? A gift! Ha! How thoughtful! Now let me see, where was I? Ah, yes. My, my, what an unpleasant dream…" With that, Somniaddo pulled out a small black velvet bag and reached inside. When he brought out his hand, Cedric saw that he was holding a handful of glittering green stardust. "Tsk, tsk. Has to be green, it does, for a dream like this one…"

He threw the handful into the air, where it stayed, suspended in place. Slowly, one after the other, Somniaddo took the components for the dream and added them one by one, muttering under his breath the whole while. The dust began to take shape and as each new component was added, it became more twisted and vile to look at until Cedric nearly couldn't bear to watch anymore. At last, the Dream Giver was done.

"Well," he said with a sigh, as he stood back to look at his work, "a work of art in it's own right. It's well built, no need to worry about leaks or anything of the sort. Not very pleasant to look at, though, is it? No, well, of course not. I'm terrified myself, quite, quite, and I put it together! Everything's in there, no need to worry, though whoever's getting it ought to worry very much. It won't help, of course, worry's no medicine, and come to think of it, there's no medicine for worry, really, if you know what I mean…"

Cedric nodded, unable to speak. He wished there was a medicine for worry. He'd do anything for some right now…

"Well, now! You'll need something to carry it in, won't you? Yes, I have just the thing…" he opened his black velvet bag again and began rummaging through it. Cedric was surprised when he pulled out a rather large black marble. "Ahh! This will do well! Yes, yes…" He threw the ball up into the air, where it remained. The now transformed stardust glided up and surrounded the marble and suddenly, wasn't there anymore. The marble flew back down into Somniaddo's outstretched hand.

"Here you go! A dream that will serve ten. Don't give them all out at once, you, er, wouldn't want to kill anyone… no, not at all. That would be even more unpleasant than the dream. Just one at a time, you simply press the button here." He pointed to a small white circle at the top of the marble. Cedric took the marble and as soon as it touched his hand, the warmth disappeared and Cedric was plunged into icy cold. His eyes went wide as he grimaced and he nearly dropped the marble but had a feeling that might be disastrous, so he held tightly, bearing the sting of the chill.

"Th-thank you," he chattered out, trying to smile at Somniaddo, but finding that his good spirits seemed to be suddenly lacking.

Somniaddo suddenly looked very solemn and serious. "Cedric, be very careful with those dreams. You see the impact they're having on you, imagine what could happen if you let them all loose at once."

Cedric nodded.

The Dream Giver smiled once more and then was gone, though his final words were carried on the wind that suddenly began to blow again. 

"Terribly unpleasant business, this. Terribly unpleasant dream…"

~*~

Cedric was having second thoughts. Could he, perhaps, manage this without using the dreams? He wasn't quite sure. He'd answered a couple of small cries before, but never anything on this scale, and never anything that affected him so. Ginny seemed like such a nice girl and he hated to do this to her. 

Cedric shivered again as he looked down upon the sleeping form of Ginny Weasley. Her hair was spread out over her pillow, her breathing soft and shallow. Cedric's insides writhed with guilt to disturb any being sleeping so peacefully, but the cold black marble in his hand kept him focused on what he had to do. He lifted it and, as Somniaddo had instructed, pressed the little white button at the top softly. A green mist hissed out and Cedric blew in Ginny's direction, muttering a silent prayer that she'd forgive him for this one day.

~*~

_She recognized it immediately for what it was. The tall pillars, the flooded floors, the dirt and grime… And there in the middle, the statue… Salazar Slytherin gazed down upon her with contempt and disgust in his eyes. _

_Ginny looked around, panic immediately settling in her heart._ She remembered everything about that night, or at least everything that she had been conscious for. What had possessed her to return here?! __

_The torches were lit, though their light managed to chill her to the bone, instead of warming her, or making her feel safe. How had she come to be here? The question echoed through her mind once again. It was a question she had asked herself often. How had__ she managed to ruin things so completely that year? How had she allowed anything so evil to nest in her heart? _

_The answer was one she could not bear, yet had been forced to face over and over… Evil begot evil. He _had found in her a willing heart and mind… He had found her weak…__

_Ginny flinched at a sudden pain in her hands. She lifted them up. Letters were forming there, as though cut with a knife, and her blood was the ink…_

_"My name is Tom. What's your name?"_

_She cried out in horror, her face contorting. Ginny abruptly looked around herself, frantically searching for something to clean her hands on, but there was nothing. She wiped them on her dressing gown, not caring that she was ruining the perfect white material, as long as she could erase that dreaded name. Gasping, she looked once again._

_The letters were gone, the cuts were gone. She looked down at her dressing gown, the blood was still there. How odd.... But just as Ginny was looking away, she saw the red stain disappear, as though being absorbed…_

_Shaking, Ginny once again lifted her hands._

_"My name is Tom. What's your name?"_

_Ginny screamed. The sound echoed off of the walls and ceiling, resounding, over and over, until it seemed there was nothing else except for her blood, her scream and his words…_

_Abruptly, it came to an end. Ginny looked down once again. Was she forever fated to have his words incised upon her flesh? His essence burned into her mind? Would she never be rid of the memories?_

_"Ginny…"_

_She froze. The whisper had come from behind her, but she was too terrified to turn around. Because she recognized that voice. It belonged to the same monster that had nearly taken her life for his own. Memories of scattered sentences arose, unbidden, to her mind. _

_"Are you afraid? Don't worry, tell me of all your troubles. Your secrets will be safe, locked away with me, forever."_

_"It is difficult, I understand. You are alone, here at Hogwarts. You have no one to turn to. But, little one, you can tell me…"_

_"You'll never be alone, __Virginia__. Not while I'm around."_

_Ginny had fallen to her knees and the tears were falling freely. The whisper came once again. _

_"Ginny…"_

_Why couldn't he leave her alone?! But she already knew the answer. She'd never be alone. Not while he was still around. _

_A hand suddenly gripped her shoulder, but Ginny didn't flinch. She had no hope. Why hadn't she died? She could feel herself being turned slowly around. When she looked up, there was no one there. The pressure on her shoulder was gone. But the whispers still remained. They were all around her now, calling her. And there, still engraved on her hands…_

_"My name is Tom. What's your name?" _

_The blood was seeping out of the cuts faster now and was dripping over the sides of her hands, pooling on the floor. There was so much blood… _

_She heard frantic footsteps behind her and turned to see Harry running into the chamber, glancing back and forth, searching for something._

_"Harry!" she cried out, but he ran straight past her, without seeing her, as always… She got up and followed him, still calling to him, but it was as though she wasn't there. Harry began to run faster and Ginny had to work harder to keep up, but it seemed as though he was just getting further and further away. She gave one last burst of speed and finally caught up enough to reach out and grab his shoulder. She pulled him back and turned him around abruptly. _

_"Hello, __Virginia__." Tom Riddle grinned down at her. Before Ginny could scream again, Tom clasped his hand over her mouth tightly. "No, no, my dear. We can't have you throwing a scene." He laughed, a sound that made tears of agony shine in Ginny's eyes. He was completely mad. There was no other way to describe him. The touch of his skin on her face made her shudder in repulsion. She bit down on his hand in desperation to get away and she tasted blood. His blood._

_"My, my," Tom removed his hand, but didn't let go of Ginny. "You've grown more adamant, I see. Nothing like how I remember you. You were quite willing then…" He laughed again. Ginny tried to get away but his grip was like a vice. The way he'd said that last sentence made her want to vomit. _

_"What do you want?!" she asked, practically screeching in the hysteria that threatened to envelop her._

_"What do I want?" His eyes opened wide in wonder. "Don't you already know? What I've always wanted, __Virginia__… You. I remember in your first year… what a scrawny little thing you were then…" Tom shook his head. "But now- my, my. You've become as luscious as I always knew you would be." Tom reached down and took Ginny's hand, lifting it to gaze at the inscription that was still there. Then he took the bleeding hand that Ginny had bit and pressed it to hers, mingling their blood. _

_"You see, Ginny?" he whispered, his head close to her ear, his breath like ice on her neck, "You're mine__."_

_"No. No…" Ginny struggled again, but in Tom's grip she felt herself growing weaker and weaker, just like with the diary._

_"I have a gift for you, Virginia." Tom began pulling her towards the other end of the chamber, the area where everything had taken place in her first year. "Haven't you ever wondered," Tom asked as they went, "what really happened the night I came out of the diary? You were unconscious… Didn't you ever wish you could have seen how- valiantly__," the word was dripping with sarcasm, "the Potter boy fought for you? I thought I'd show you… What do you think?"_

_Ginny could barely hold her head up anymore. But she remembered what Harry had looked like when she'd come to at last, and she remembered her horror that she had caused it. He'd looked terrible, covered in blood and grime… he'd almost been as weak as she'd been, yet he'd helped her all the way back… She felt fresh tears forming in her eyes and she finally spoke up. "No, please, I don't want to watch, I don't want to know... stop…"_

_"Oh, _Virginia__, why ever not?___ I find it fascinating. Didn't you ever want to know how Harry Potter died?"_

_Tom's words hit her like a pile of bricks and she felt the blood leave her face. "D-d-died?! No, he's not- he didn't-"_

_Tom shook his head again and grinned. "Can't you remember, __Virginia__? That night, Harry Potter died trying to save poor Ginny Weasley… Remarkable effort, really, but against me? The boy was a joke." Tom snapped his fingers and suddenly before them, a huge basilisk towered up and there, not three feet in front of Ginny stood Harry, bleeding badly from his shoulder, his glasses dangling and his sword, his sword broken…_

_"Harry-" Ginny whispered, but even she could barely hear herself. And even as her heart cried out for him, the basilisk lunged downwards to kill its prey. Ginny shut her eyes as tightly as she could, but that didn't hide the sounds of Harry's defeat. _

_"No… Harry…" Riddle let go of her, but it didn't matter. He knew she had no strength left. Even if her body had been capable of movement, her soul was quickly sinking into despair. He was gone. Harry was gone. "Harry…" Ginny curled up on the floor, sobbing._

_"Poor, poor __Virginia__…" Riddle's voice mocked her from above. "I told you. You're mine."_

_She was his. Tom's. The thought sapped her of even more strength and little by little, she began forgetting everything. She had never been anything but his. And still, a small though raged inside her, trying to get free. Harry… But no. Little by little, that too was fading away until- until…_

_Until she didn't know who Harry was at all._

~*~

Ginny opened her eyes to the light of her room. It was actually the middle of the night, but compared to the blackness she had just felt in her heart, nothing seemed dark. She sat up, her heart pounding frantically, her breathing erratic. 

"Oh, God…" she whispered, putting her face in her hands and trying vainly to steady the terrified breaths that kept coming out in uneven gasps. 

It had been so long since she'd had a dream about that night. What had triggered this?! Why did she deserve this? Hadn't she suffered enough? This one had been the worst by far. None of her nightmares had ever been so clear or so life-like; as though she'd really been there.

Shaking, Ginny lifted her hands and nearly cried with relief when she saw they were clear of the awful inscription. Yet Ginny could still hear Riddle's voice, she could feel his breath, as though he were still beside her. Ginny looked wildly around the room, to be sure there was no one there other than her room-mates. 

Then a terrible thought suddenly struck her. Harry.

She climbed out of bed and ran out of her dormitory, not even bothering to put on her dressing gown. It couldn't have been true, could it? He was fine, Harry wasn't-

Fear gripping her very soul, she rushed through the common room, where the fire was just beginning to die out, and up the stairs on the other side, staying as quiet as she could the entire time. When she reached the top, the room that she knew belonged to the fifth year boys, she stopped, unable to continue.

What if it was true? What if Harry Potter really was dead? What if everything up to now had been the dream and tonight had been reality? 

Ginny pushed the door slowly open, terrified of what she would find. She tiptoed into the room, looking to and fro at the sleeping boys in their beds. There was Neville, snoring softly and Seamus and Dean across from eachother. And there was Ron, arm dangling over the side of his four-poster, mouth wide open. Ginny reached the last bed, holding her breath.

It was empty.

Ginny stared, disbelieving. It couldn't be. He should be there, asleep, dreaming peacefully. Where was he? 

He was dead.

Ginny fell to her knees next to the bed, burying her face in the covers, unable to stop her tears yet trying to muffle the sounds of her grief so she wouldn't wake the others. Riddle was right. Harry was gone, dead, and she was alone.

A door closed softly behind her and then there were footsteps, but Ginny was so caught up in crying that she didn't hear anything until the person behind her spoke.

"Ginny?"

She froze. That- that voice. Slowly, she lifted her head and turned around. Harry was standing there, clad in a pair of tartan boxers and a T-shirt, looking down at her with an expression of bewilderment. At first she thought it was his ghost, but then reality sank in. He was really there. He must have just gone out to the bathroom or something of the sort… But the relief she felt was still as great as though he'd died and come back to life. The feeling had been so real…

She lifted a hand to her mouth, her eyes wide and shining, filled with hope. "Harry," she whispered at last, and not waiting for a reply, she flung herself forwards and hugged him as hard as she could. "You're alive, oh God, you're alive!" She cried into his shoulder, and she could feel his gasp of surprise and then the quickening of his heartbeat. 

Harry stood awkwardly for a moment, as Ginny hugged him, but then he spoke quietly and his voice was reassuring and calm. "Ginny, shhh," he said, smoothing her hair, and it felt so _good_ to have him hold her. "What are you talking about?"

Ginny didn't pull away, but spoke from his shoulder, her words slightly muffled. "I dreamt you were dead, it was so real… Harry, don't ever leave, please!" she pleaded, hugging him closer. 

She felt Harry's hand under her chin as he pulled her face up to look at him. His eyebrows were drawn together in worry, though he spoke with complete sincerity. "It was just a dream. I'm not dead and don't worry, I won't leave, I promise…"

Ginny searched his eyes and she knew he was telling the truth. And she believed him.

"You're alive," she whispered one last time, and then, because she couldn't hold back any longer, she pulled him down and kissed him.

~*~

Warmth. Such warmth as he hadn't felt for so long seeped through Cedric's very being. And the pain that hadn't let up since the cries had begun almost disappeared. It was still there, but it was barely noticeable after the torment Harry had been putting himself through. In one moment all of the horror had disappeared to be replaced with- Cedric didn't know quite what to call it. It was odd feeling someone else's happiness, so different than what he felt like when he was happy. The feeling spread to his fingertips and Cedric basked in the sudden relief. He'd been carrying around Harry's burden for so long now, it was almost a shock to see how different everything was when it was almost gone.

Cedric was almost finished. Just a bit more sorting out here and there and he'd be able to let Harry alone.

And Harry would be able to let himself alone as well.


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four:

Harry gazed across at the clear and sparkling waters of the lake, reflecting the light of the sun in the late afternoon. His classes were over for the day and he'd left Ron and Hermione in the common room, claiming he needed some fresh air. Ron and Hermione hadn't exactly minded being left alone…

Truth of the matter was, he'd come down to think. He needed to clear his head. Harry actually had no idea how he'd managed to get through the day at all. His teachers had noticed his inattention and he'd lost ten house points throughout the day in total, but how could anyone expect him to transfigure a bookcase into a cookie when all he could think about was _her_?!

For perhaps the thousandth time that day, Harry smiled, his cheeks tingeing slightly red. He'd been completely baffled to find Ginny crying by his bedside last night. He'd been up late, finishing a nasty essay for Snape and had just gone to brush his teeth. And when she'd seen him at last, she'd been so surprised, as though she couldn't believe he was really standing there. He still didn't understand completely what had happened, but Harry knew enough about nightmares to figure it hadn't been pleasant.

So he'd held her and told her it would be all right and that he wasn't going anywhere. Just like he'd always wanted someone to do for him… And then she'd kissed him…

He'd been completely caught of guard at the sudden flurry of emotions and the lightening that had seemed to course all the way from his scar to his toes. He'd never, in all of his life, felt anything like the rush he'd felt just then and at that moment, he felt he could have sprouted wings and flown away…

The kiss had actually only lasted a second before Ginny pulled away giving a horrified gasp and turning to run from the room, but Harry's trained quidditch reflexes (though somewhat slowed after the last second) made him faster than her and he caught her hand before she could go.

"Don't," he'd whispered. "Please don't run away." His eyes had pleaded, desperate to feel the way she'd made him feel a moment ago once again.

Ginny had turned back, her tear-streaked face blushing pink in embarrassment. "I'm sorry I did that, really. Please don't be mad. Just let me go and we can forget this ever happened." More silent tears slipped down her cheeks and she looked away, her hand still grasped tightly in Harry's. 

If letting go would make them forget, then Harry never intended to. 

He'd pulled her gently closer and waited until she looked up at him. "I don't know what happened, or why you came up here, but I-" he paused, furrowing his brow nervously, "I don't- what I mean is…" he blew out an irritated breath, unable to phrase what he wanted to say. He finally sighed in defeat and spoke as plainly as he could manage. "I don't want to forget it happened." Ginny's eyes widened and Harry felt he better continue. "Would you- could- could I kiss you again?" he finished in whisper, blushing madly. Ginny only nodded, her eyes clearly expressing disbelief and Harry had leaned down and kissed her gently once more, reveling in her soft lips and the way she'd brought her arms around his neck, pulling him closer, as though-

As though she wanted him.

The Giant Squid lazily propelled itself across the lake and Harry randomly picked at patches of grass. Ginny had gone back to bed, first promising Harry that she'd talk to him tomorrow. Well, it was tomorrow and Harry still hadn't seen her all day. Not even a glimpse at meals. Waiting to see her again was driving him to distraction.

He'd just decided to go look for her in the common room when a voice made him start in surprise. 

"Excuse me, sir, but could you pass me my hat, please?"

Harry turned around quickly to find Ginny looking down at him, smiling and pointing to Harry's left. He turned and saw her hat, sitting neatly beside him. Chuckling, he picked it up and handed it to her as she sat down next to him. "At least this time you asked nicely instead of crashing into me…" Ginny laughed lightly and Harry almost sighed in contentment.

"Sorry about that," she said, "but I was so sure someone had called me from behind…"

Silence settled over the two, and Harry found he was quite content just to have Ginny sitting near him. It was funny how one moment could change the way you perceived people. He'd never known Ginny had nightmares, but now that he thought about it, it didn't seem very unlikely. She certainly had a reason to have nightmares…

"Ginny, what was it you dreamt last night?" Harry asked suddenly and immediately regretted it. He shouldn't pry; nightmares were hard enough without reliving them.

However, while Ginny seemed surprised at the question, she didn't seem offended at all. "The Chamber of Secrets," she answered quietly and waited for Harry's reaction. When he didn't say anything, she continued. "It's not the first time, and I don't have any false hopes about it being the last. Last night was the worst one I've ever had. Every time I dream about that night, or about that diary, the nightmare is usually focused on just one or two of my fears but last night it hit me with all of them."

Ginny looked up at Harry apprehensively. "Can I tell you something I've never told anyone else before?" Harry nodded and Ginny took a deep breath. "Sometimes, I feel as though I'll never be rid of him, Tom Riddle." She spat out the name with venom, but her features slowly subsided from anger and she looked afraid and worried once again. "It's like he's part of me. Like he's burned into me and no matter how much I scrub I can't get him off. In my dream, he was there, and he just kept laughing at me and I couldn't get away. Everything I had was going into keeping him there and then he said you were dead…" Ginny swiped furiously at her eyes. "He even showed me how it had happened, with the basilisk and everything and it was just so _real_ that when I woke up I really believed it."

Harry shook his head in disbelief. How Ginny, of all people could ever believe herself tainted was beyond him. "But I'm not dead," he said softly, "and Tom Riddle could never be a part of you. You're too good." 

"Harry, you _could_ have died that night and it would have been my fault. Do you have any idea how much that horrifies me? All because of one stupid little girl's need for a diary. I just, I don't know… Ron and I were always so close and when he came back from Hogwarts, he barely even noticed me anymore. And when that little black book showed up, I thought it heaven-sent." Ginny laughed bitterly. "All those terrible things that happened in my first year were my fault. It's taken me a long time but I almost forgive myself for it. I wish I knew that everybody else did."

Ginny was silent and Harry had to work hard to keep his mouth from falling open. Was that what she thought? That the Chamber of Secrets was her fault? She'd had nothing to do with it whatsoever, her only fault being that she was a Weasley and therefore subject to the Malfoy's twisted games. And Harry found it very hard to look at being a Weasley as a fault. 

"Ginny," Harry said, shaking his head. "How could you believe something like that? You can't blame yourself for what happened. It's Riddle's fault, and the Malfoys'. You were just at the wrong place at the wrong time. If it hadn't been you, then it would've been someone else, and if that had been the case, I doubt Ron and I would have been so anxious to get down there to stop whoever was responsible. Riddle would be free by now and Hogwarts would be closed and the world would be much worse off than it is…" Harry trailed off and thought about what he'd just said.

_You were just at the wrong place at the wrong time… It's Riddle's fault… If it hadn't been you then it would have been someone else…_

Harry shook his head. "If anyone should blame themselves, it's me. If it wasn't for me, everything would be different…" However, Harry found that he wasn't quite sure he believed this anymore. He'd held fast to his pain and grief. In a way, it had been his only comfort. Now, he hated feeling the repercussions of the previous year and hated himself even more for nursing his guilt. Yet he couldn't let go. Something kept nagging at him. Something poisonous that wanted him to shrivel up and die slowly, starting on the inside. He'd never been able to find something to stop it and it had slowly been eating him away.

But Ginny…

Harry looked at her intently. She'd been through something similar; she suffered nightmares, like him, she felt at fault, like himself… Yet when he looked at Ginny's problem, he could see clearly that it wasn't her problem at all and that she was wrong to make herself feel so. 

"Harry," Ginny spoke suddenly, as though coming to this realization on her own, "I think, maybe, we've been too hard on ourselves. I don't know about me, but trust me when I tell you that there was nothing you could have done to save Cedric last year. You did more for him than anyone else would have, I imagine. It's probably hard for you to see, but I think-" Ginny shook her head, "I _know_ that you will. Maybe when it finally sinks in for you, it will for me as well…"

Harry sighed. He had a feeling she was right. He couldn't quite accept it just yet, but somehow, he knew the poison defeated. Now he just had to wait until the after-affect wore off. 

At least Ginny would be there to keep him company.

~*~

So. It was finished. Cedric ran a hand through his hair. In a way, he was going to miss this cry. He was glad everything had turned out all right. 

Well, almost.

Restlessly, Cedric flew downwards, leaving the warmth of the heavens behind. The chill hit him as he neared his destination, but he barely noticed it. All he felt was a tug, pulling him towards the place he had just left and a sense of urgency. A cry. And as Cedric felt the emotions of his charge settle in his chest, his eyes widened, knowing it was too late to turn back. He'd already accepted.

He reached the castle wall and flew through it, to the room he knew to be beyond. 

Cedric landed gracefully a few feet away from his new charge, and a dull throb in his head echoed the sobs that reached his ears.

He'd heard Cho crying before, but he'd never felt it.

~*~

"Lily, do you think, maybe just this once?"

"James, I really don't know. I want to as much as you do."

"You know there are special circumstances for this type of thing. I don't know if Cedric will be able to-"

"Yes… You're right. Harry is one thing, but Cho…"

"So, you'll allow it?"

"I feel obligated to do so. That's the problem. Am I doing this only out of gratefulness or because they both truly need it?

"Lily, look at them. They never even got a chance to say good-bye. What if we hadn't-

"Please, James. I can't even attempt to imagine…"

"Then you'll do it?"

"Yes."

~*~

Cedric felt a sudden sharp pain in his back in addition to feeling both lighter and heavier at the same time. Turning to see what had happened, he was surprised to find his wings gone. But the implications of this hit him full force a moment later and he looked abruptly to Cho's sobbing figure. He knew what was happening, he knew what a rare gift this was and he was suddenly terrified. He knew he was going to have to leave all over again.

Standing, he walked slowly and carefully over to the side of Cho's bed and sat down, reaching out a hesitant a hand and soothing it over her back, a hand that didn't pass through her but felt her solid beneath its' touch. He'd forgotten how she felt… He closed his eyes to stop his tears from falling. He needed to be strong if he was going to have any chance at helping Cho get through this. Her voice suddenly broke through his thoughts.

"Go away, Milly, I asked you to leave me alone."

Cedric shook his head, smiling. Instead of answering her, he removed his hand from her back and ran it down her arm, finally taking her hand in his own.

Cho completely stiffened at his touch and Cedric waited. Slowly, she turned around. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, her face was streaked with tears, old and new. But when she saw him, he didn't get the reaction he'd expected.

Cho looked horrified. She abruptly wrenched her hand from his grasp and pushed herself back against the wall, hugging her knees. "Stop it!" she almost screamed. "Just leave me alone. You're not- you're not…" She buried her face as new sobs racked her body. "You're not him!" Cedric managed to discern from amidst the muffled wails.

Cedric's heart wrenched as he realized she must have seen previous apparitions, phantasms as she believed him now to be.

"Cho, don't, please stop crying," he said softly, leaning closer to her and lifting her chin so that she was looking at him. She was silent as he ran a thumb across her cheek, wiping away stray tears.

"I'm sorry I startled you so badly. Believe me that was the last thing I ever wanted to do. I- Cho, I'm real. Not just some figment of your imagination, I promise you that."

Cho shook her head helplessly. "I don't believe you." Her voice cracked under her apparent emotional strain. "They all said the same thing. Prove it."

Cedric furrowed his brow, trying to think of a way to show her he was real. A memory the two of them had shared wouldn't do the trick. A creation of her mind would know it as well. What wouldn't one of them say?

Sorrow settled on Cedric's heart as he realized- "I'm not staying. I haven't come back to life and I don't know for certain that everything's going to be ok." He hated to tell her something so cruel that he knew went against almost every wish she'd made in connection to him, but it was the complete truth, something he was sure Cho's apparitions would never say.

But Cho seemed too stunned to speak. She lifted a hand to her mouth and her eyes were wide in shock. 

Cedric pulled her gently away from the wall, into his arms. "I'm real," he whispered, breathing in the scent of her hair. He pushed a stray strand behind her ear. "If you still need more proof, then the only thing I can give you is this." He leaned forward and kissed her softly. She tasted salty from her tears, but Cedric couldn't care less as her lips slowly parted, deepening the kiss and for a moment, he lost all rational thought.

But a moment later, he pulled away. Cedric wished he could kiss her until the sun fell from the sky, but he needed to talk to her. He only had so much time.

"It was you."

Cedric looked at Cho quizzically. Her eyes were unfocused, a look of sheer joy on her face. She brought her gaze to rest on Cedric and she smiled. "A week ago- I was sure you'd been there, though I didn't know how. You left a feather…" Cho's eyes widened, though this time in wonder.

"You're an angel?"

Cedric locked his gaze with hers. "Yes."

A few moments passed, but then Cho nodded. "Good."

"Do you know why I'm here?" Cedric asked her and she shook her head. "You called me. I can hear you crying and you know I never could stand to hear you cry…" Cho nodded, blushing slightly. "But the main reason is that we never really got to say goodbye. You need to let go, Cho. You have to keep on living, because that's what you're here for. This is still your time. Don't waste it, trust me. Living in the past isn't going to bring me back."

There was a moment of silence and then- "Say goodbye."

Cho's lip trembled as she looked up at Cedric. He was still holding her in his arms. "I- I can't. I don't want to."

Cedric sighed. "We've been given a gift. We both get to see each other again. But it's just for this one purpose. I told you before that I don't know for certain that everything's going to be ok. What I can promise you is that things will never have a chance to get better if you don't do this. You can say it. I won't hold it against you if you find happiness. I'm just fine. You don't have to worry about me anymore. Let me go."

Cho's tears had subsided and she looked almost peaceful. "You're- you promise you're happy?" Cedric nodded. "I- but- what will I do?" 

She was so lost when the answer was so simple. 

"Live."

Cho let out a breath she seemed to have been holding. "That easy, huh?"

"No. Nothing's easy. But I know you, Cho Chang. You'll make the best of it."

Several more moments passed and at last Cho nodded. "I think I can do that."

Cedric smiled and leaned down to kiss her once again and when he pulled away, he leaned back down on her pillows and she rested her head on his chest. She was tired, he could tell and she began to slowly nod off. Several minutes had passed when she suddenly grinned.

"How's the flying up there?"

Cedric chuckled. "Heavenly."

He felt a warning twitch in-between his shoulder blades and knew it was time to go. He rolled over so that Cho was no longer on top of him and slid off the bed.

"Will you wait for me?" She already sounded half asleep.

"Forever, if I have to." He gave her one last kiss on her forehead. 

As he straightened, he felt the weight of his wings once again and prepared to leave, this time for good. But before he disappeared, he heard one last whisper.

"I'll remember this…" And Cho finally fell asleep.

Cedric tried to hold back the tears that threatened to escape. "No. You won't. But don't worry…" Somehow he managed to smile.

"Everything will be different in the morning."


End file.
